The guest of honour pose for a group photo with the participants
The workshop is taking place in Lilongwe from 22nd to 26th January 2024 as a precursor to the capacity building workshop for the Workers Compensation Board of Trustees earmarked to be conducted during the period 29 January to 2 February 2024.
By the end of the five days, participants are expected to develop a roadmap that will guide the implementation of the Workers Compensation Fund, which was long overdue thereby breeding many problems in workers’ compensation provision in Malawi.
The guest of honour making his opening remarks
Participants listening to a presentation
According to the Principal Secretary for Labour Mr. Wezzie Kayira, the operationalisation of the Workers Compensation Fund is long overdue. Speaking during the workshop, taking place in Lilongwe, Kayira said, “the fact that Malawi is the only country without a Worker’s Compensation Fund makes this workshop more imperative”.
Once operationalised, there will be a transition of the workers compensation management system from the current employer liability scheme, which is heavily reliant on the capacity of the respective employer to compensate victims of work related injuries, to a social insurance kind of scheme.
“The new system is more advantageous as compared to the old system which had numerous challenges ranging from employers defaulting on payments, delays in payments detrimental to the victim, and corruption, among other ills.” added Kayira.
The operationalisation of the workers compensation fund is a key vehicle to unlocking the requisite resources required to achieve sustainability in the administration of workers compensation services. More importantly, the design of the workers compensation fund is also to ensure that it is able to support proactive preventive actions by capacitating the directorate of OSH that has the mandate to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases at workplaces in Malawi.
This is in line with the overall objective of the Zantchito skills for Jobs Programme, which seeks to support the Government by strengthening the labour laws of Malawi and the promotion of attainment of decent jobs, and sustainable economic development in Malawi as envisaged in Malawi 2063. The ultimate goal is to reduce poverty and achieve social justice through assuring better prospects for personal development, the protection of equal access to liberties, rights and opportunities and treatment for all workers at the workplace.
